Each year vast quantities of such solid municipal refuse are generated by cities, suburbs, towns, and villages, and the disposal of this raw waste has been a very acute national problem for a long period of time. The disposal of this raw waste has led to pollution of or to deterioration of many areas in the nation. The present invention is directed to the allevation of these problems in commercially useful ways which are beneficial to the environment by recovering and restoring commercially useful materials from solid municipal garbage and trash.